Pandemic. You may have heard recently of the Zika virus, a mosquito-born illness that might be causing a birth defect called microcephaly (small heads and brain damage), at high rates in babies born in Brazil. The link between Zika and these high rates of birth defects is not conclusive, but there is definitely something going on in Brazil.

Only in Texas. That said, the Zika virus has now appeared in the US, but not through mosquito transmission. Texas has the honor of having the third known case in the world of sexually transmitted Zika virus, because of course we do.

Cute and Deadly. On a lighter note, oh my gods I need all of these incredible vinyl toys from Shinbone Creative in their Thimblestump Hollow collection.
They’re cute and terrifying, with deep, adorable eyes that could easily draw you down into a sweet, sappy doom of being disemboweled and eaten alive.

Time and Dark Matter. According to Frank Wilczek, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the nature of Time probably has something to do with dark matter. I read this article three times before I really wrapped my head around the idea he’s getting at. It’s a great think piece, and my head’s spinning with the possible implications for time travel fiction.

Humans are less special. A recent experiment indicates that ravens have a form of empathy, in that they can imagine another creature’s point of view.